


dreaming of friendly faces

by ShyAudacity



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [9]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Eddie Diaz Needs a Hug (9-1-1 TV), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Just a small bit, Light Angst, M/M, Mentioned Shannon Diaz, Prompt Fill, Worried Evan "Buck" Buckley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 18:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30126864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShyAudacity/pseuds/ShyAudacity
Summary: Buck is helping Hen with a patient when he hears it. A loud, echoing crash comes from inside the house; it sets his teeth on edge. “What the hell was that?”Hen pulls her stethoscope around her neck as she meets his eye. “Nothing good, that’s for sure.”A minute later, Eddie appears in the doorway of the house; even from a distance, Buck can tell that somethings wrong. Eddie’s leaning against the doorframe like it’s the only thing keeping him upright.ORFor Bingo Squares: Stumbling and Staggering and Struggling Against the Caretaker.
Relationships: Eddie Diaz/Shannon Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2101905
Comments: 11
Kudos: 183





	dreaming of friendly faces

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stennerd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stennerd/gifts).



> This can be read as either platonic or romantic, its up to you. To Jess- I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Unbeta'd and title from Cover Me Sunshine by Pink.

Buck is helping Hen with a patient when he hears it. A loud, echoing crash comes from inside the house; it sets his teeth on edge. “What the hell was that?”

Hen pulls her stethoscope around her neck as she meets his eye. “Nothing good, that’s for sure.”

Buck looks around cautiously, making a mental headcount of everyone that he sees. It takes him a second to pick out the other firefighters with the small crowd of neighbors that have appeared. He palms his radio when he realizes everyone isn’t accounted for. “Does anyone have eyes on Eddie?”

John chimes in less than a second later. “Diaz hasn’t come out of the house yet. He was doing a sweep of the second floor.”

Buck’s blood runs cold at the words, a pit forming in the bottom of his stomach. Good things rarely come from being the last one left inside a burning house. Though the kitchen fire has been put out, there's still a fair amount of smoke spilling out of the front door. 

A minute later, Eddie appears in the doorway of the house; even from a distance, Buck can tell that somethings wrong. Eddie’s leaning against the doorframe like it’s the only thing keeping him upright. The mask and air supply he was wearing when he entered the house are gone.

Buck is moving towards Eddie in an instant, hands outstretched when he sees Eddie losing his footing. “Hey,  _ hey _ , I got you. Talk to me. Are you hurt anywhere?”

He doesn’t say a word. Eddie is looking everywhere but at Buck, searching for something that no one else can see. Buck gets an arm around his shoulders, trying to lead him towards the trucks in his dazed state. He keeps tripping over his own feet. Eddie comes to a sudden halt halfway to the trucks, looking back over his shoulder.

“What is it?” Buck asks when nothing catches his own eye.

“I have to go back in,” Eddie says half-mindedly. He pulls away from Buck, not getting much more than a foot away when Buck gets a hand on him. Eddie isn’t having any of it; he pushes at Buck’s hands, the features of his face pinching into something unrecognizable.

Eddie sounds so much like Christopher for a second that it’s painful. “Stop it. I have to- let me  _ go- _ I have to help!”

Buck grabs him again before he can get too far, but Eddie only manages to see through him. “Eddie, you look like you’re about to pass out. I can’t let you go in there.”

Eddie whines in the back of his throat and Buck can tell this is all about to go south. He gets his hands on Eddie’s arms, pulling him close to his chest, not caring about the crowd of people. 

“Eddie. Babe, listen to me,” he says quietly. “I know you want to help, but I can’t let you go back in there. Not in this state. You need to get checked out.”

He’s bigger than Eddie, just barely, but trying to hold back a fully grown man that weighs as much as him isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Buck digs his heels in the soft grass as he keeps talking to him. Eddie still doesn’t hear him; his tired yet determined hands push at Buck’s chest. 

It doesn't make sense. Buck hasn’t seen him like this since-.

Oh. Oh,  _ no _ .

Buck whirls around, looking at the house before, finding who he needs. “ _ Cap! _ I think there’s someone still in there!”

Buck feels his nerves hit the clouds as he watches Bobby and John make a mad dash for the front door. It doesn’t take long for them to find the victim judging by how Bobby’s head pokes out of the door, yelling. “Bring the backboard!”

Buck watches with rapt attention as Chimney runs in after them with the board tucked under his arm. He tightens his arms around Eddie again when he moves to get away. “Hey, hey, they’ve got it, see? Cap and Chimney are going to help, it’s okay.”

Another minute later and they’re carrying a woman out on the backboard, her long, dark hair spilling over the top of it. She and Eddie must’ve both taken a tumble down the stairs- that explains the crash. Her neck snapped in the fall.  If Eddie hit his head or was disoriented from all the smoke then-.

_ Oh, you sweet soul. I’m so sorry. _

Buck gets a hand on Eddie’s jaw, trying to meet his eye. “Eddie that’s not her,” Buck says firmly. “Shannon’s not in that house.”

Eddie’s face falls again, a different kind of pain this time. Buck steadies him when he goes stiff against him, his clarity coming back to him. Eddie pushes away from him hurriedly. Buck lets him go, knowing that he needs a minute. 

A full five go by before Buck finds him on the backside of the truck, away from any watchful eyes, head held in his hands. Buck just stands next to him, not wanting to crowd or overwhelm him; if Eddie’s eyes are red when he looks up at the sky, Buck doesn’t say anything about it.

“I don’t think Hen’s busy right now,” Buck says after a beat. “A quick once over probably wouldn’t hurt, yeah?”

Eddie nods numbly, letting Buck throw an arm over his shoulder, hand lingering over his chest. To his own surprise, Eddie keeps him from going too far once they’re at the back of the ambo. His fingers curl in the sleeve of Buck's shirt and refuse to let up. 

After Hen gives him a clean bill of health and steps away, Eddie tightens his grip on a Buck for a minute. His voice is so quiet that Buck almost misses it. “I miss her.”

Buck curls his hand around Eddie’s neck, thumb trailing over the smooth skin and wishing there was more that he could do. “I know... I’m sorry that she can’t be here.”

If Eddie’s shoulders start to shake while they’re sitting there, he doesn't mention it. Buck only holds on tighter, content to do so for as long as Eddie needs. 

**Author's Note:**

> Someday I'm going to write a fic that isn't so tragically short but today is not that day. 
> 
> Hey, thanks for reading my fic! Comments/Kudos are appreciated and encouraged. Have a great day!


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